Category Archives: General History

Submarines on the Chicago Sanitary Canal – No kidding!

My last post revealed some amazing information about the building of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal. If you missed that post, you can read it here: The Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal | Pat Camalliere – The Cora Tozzi … Continue reading

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Illinois and Michigan Canal Celebrates 175th Anniversary.

In April of 1848, the I & M Canal officially opened. From April of 2023 through March of 2024, the I & M Canal Corridor Association is having a year-long celebration of this event. Continue reading

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The Des Plaines River

I get excited when I talk about Lemont’s waterways, because they are so important not only to the growth of Chicago, but to westward expansion across the entire continent. The only place all these important waterways come together is Lemont. … Continue reading

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Train Wreck in Lemont, July 1905

Last month’s post was about a train wreck in Lemont on the Alton-Chicago Railroad in 1873. Today we continue the subject of train wrecks with the Santa Fe derailment that also occurred in Lemont in 1905. The Atchison, Topeka & Santa … Continue reading

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Admiral Dewey and the Battle of the Sanitary Canal

The I & M Canal had been a tremendous success in opening up shipping and transportation between Lake Michigan and the Mississippi River. However, during dry periods the level wasn’t sufficient to float the barges and boats, and during heavy … Continue reading

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QUARANTINE 1903 – THE SIEGE OF LEMONT

Due to recent events I thought you would be interested in reading about how epidemics were handled over a hundred years ago, with both similarities and differences to today’s pandemic. Continue reading

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Taming the Illinois Wilderness

If you’ve walked through County Forest Preserve trails you have some idea of what Northern Illinois looked like before Illinois became a state in 1818. The land was wilderness: woods and grasslands. Native American trails were intended for foot traffic. … Continue reading

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FOREST FIRES VS CHICAGO AREA’S SIZZLING SUMMERS

Forest Fires: Why the Chicago Area Doesn’t Have Them “Stop the car! Just stop, now! Look!” Despite that he was driving in bumper to bumper traffic, I insisted that my husband, Chris, see what I was seeing – the most … Continue reading

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Three-year-old Elsie, 1893-1896

Three-year-old Elsie, 1893-1896 The first permanent settlers came to Northern Illinois in the 1830s and by the mid-1800s many nearby towns had grown to be of significant size. On 127th Street in Lemont is St. Matthew’s Cemetery. Cemeteries like St. … Continue reading

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America’s Love of Air Racing – 1930s –  Rudy Kling, “Speed King”

With the Chicago Air and Water Show about to begin, I thought it a good time to tell the story of a giant of Air Racing and local boy made famous! In the late 1920s and the entire 1930s, America … Continue reading

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